Advocacy

The RCMP Advocacy Program was developed in 2008 within the RCMP Veteran’s Association to represent the membership in their dealings with the RCMP, government departments and other organizations in order to facilitate services and benefits available to our membership.

Recent initiatives have taken place which will enhance delivery of services and benefits for our members.

For instance, Sgt. Brad Chugg was appointed as the Liaison Officer to Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and is located at the VAC HQ Offices in Charlottetown, PEI. In the near future, VAC will dedicate a telephone line for ONLY RCMP members and veterans. The operators will be familiar with RCMP services and benefits. This should solve the present problem of inconsistent responses from VAC to our membership.

Meetings have been held between representatives of our Association and the Royal Canadian Legion (RCL) to foster additional cooperation between our organizations in support of disability claims, services and benefits provided by VAC. Additionally, steps are being taken to have Advocates in place in every Province to form a national network under the coordination of the National Advocate. Eventually each Veteran’s Association Division should provide a point of contact for members seeking assistance. The network will provide an avenue of support for members and a method to identify systemic barriers.

RCMPVA Constitution – Part 2 Chapter 2.9 – Advocacy Program

Advocacy is a program designed to recognize, protect, promote and generally champion the rights of members of the RCMP Veterans’ Association as it relates to issues of pensions, insurance and health care.

Guidance and Direction:

A member of the Association will be appointed to the position of National Advocate. The National Advocate will function under the general direction of the President and report directly to him and maintain a close working relationship with all Directors and committee members. The Advocate shall liaise with Association partners such as the Royal Canadian Legion, Federal Superannuates National Association (FSNA), The Veterans Affairs Canada Ombudsman, Veterans Affairs Canada and other partners with an interest in our Association and for the benefit of our members.

With guidance from the Board of Directors, the National Advocate shall work closely with the Executive Director of the Association and may represent the Board of Directors and the Association through appointments to the RCMP Pensions Advisory Committee (PAC) and the RCMP Insurance Committee and to other various internal and external committees as might occasionally be considered appropriate. The advocate should also work closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police policy centres as required. The Advocate will be an ex officio member of the Board of Directors.

Regional RCMP Veterans Advocates

Under the chairmanship of the National Advocate, five Advocates from the RCMP Veterans’ Association divisions will be appointment by the National Advocate. The Pacific Region, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic Region will be each be represented by an Advocate. The regions identified above represent the same geographical areas used by the RCMP for administrative purposes. The National Advocate will chair at least two meetings each year with the five Regional Advocates and file minutes of their meetings with the President of the Association and the BOD.

The National Advocate may initiate other meetings with the Regional Advocates throughout the year as required. These meetings can be conducted through the use of tele/video conference facilities.

Appointment of Division Advocates

In spite of the fact divisions will be represented by Regional Advocates, they are encouraged to appoint their own Divisional Advocates to discharge responsibilities on behalf of their division memberships. These Divisional Advocates would work closely with the Regional Advocates and the National Advocate, especially in communicating changes to benefits and best practices. All Advocate positions are voluntary but expenses occurred representing the Association and its members will be reimbursed.

The National and Regional Advocates Terms of Office

The term of office for an Advocate should be for two years. Continued service as the National Advocate and Regional Advocates should be ratified by each incoming National President.

Education and Training of Advocates:

The Advocate shall be aware of educational and training activities available to members of the Association. Opportunities to become trained through the Service Bureau of the Royal Canadian Legion and Veterans Affairs Canada should be communicated to the membership via bulletins; newsletters or any means to ensure the opportunities are known. Knowledge of policies and practices of insurance, dental and health plans affecting the membership is a requirement. The Advocate, while representing the Association, shall act independently when dealing with members requesting assistance.

Welcome to RCMPVA Toronto

Toronto Division works to help our members in any way that we can. Information on a variety of topics is available on the site and if you have any other questions please send them through our contact page.

Eligible to join the Division but haven't made up your mind yet. Come out to one of our events and get the flavour of what we do. Between specialized speakers and social events the Division is bound to have some feature that appeals. We invite speakers with a wide diversity of knowledge to speak about their specialities and are always on the lookout for new event venues.
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